Waterfalls
by Cannes-de-Noel
Summary: Dist found a new arte, and he's just been 'dying' to try it. It was aimed for Guy but...Well, let's just say that our lovable Gailardia doesn't have to stand close to our no-so-lovable Colonel anymore...I kinda rushed ch 2...
1. The Strange Arte that Dist Found

This is kinda my first fic here, so you know, don't flame me or anything. Okay?? The title doesn't really have anything to do with the story, I just didn't want to leave it as 'Untitled' or something.

This takes place just before your fight with Dist in the Tower of Rem. My memory is a tad fuzzy in that area of the game, so I tried to match it up the best I could. I now realize though that Dist appears the first visit to the tower, not the second. The original idea was that Dist had found a rather 'interesting' new arte, and was 'just dying' to try it. He became aware of Guy's phobia, and aimed for him but...Well let's say that our lovable Gailardia doesn't have to stand near our...not-so-lovable Colonel anymore...

Hey, Merry Christmas to you guys too!

**Disclaimer:** In no way do I own Tales of the Abyss. It's the best game ever, and I think we all dream that we own it.

* * *

It would take two days from Daath to reach the Tower of Rem. Two days until Luke would send himself to his death in Asch's place. Well, try to at least. Both red-heads didn't seem to want to give into the other so easily. The night before was the worst yet, in Anise's opinion. Everyone was restless, and worried about the fact that someone was going to die tomorrow. One of them, Luke or Asch. Who ever it was, no one could stop either of them from making their final decision.

The ceiling of the inn was cold, and gave no reassurance to any of them. Anise had stayed awake long after sun down, just staring ahead at the plain white paint, tinted purple by the miasma. This was her fault. She'd spied on them since she became a Fon Master Guardian. The God-Generals had been able to track their movements because of her, Mohs had been able to make hundreds of replicas, and now not only was Ion dead, Luke and Asch were going to die too.

Tear laid across from the former guardian. She opted for the window before the ceiling, but the small pin-pricks of light that were the stars poking through the purple gas held no answers for her either. She was going to lose Luke tomorrow. She was sure that he would never let Asch take his place among the hundreds of replicas also awaiting death's hand. But he was only seven years old! Why does he have to act like the big hero? How could he just let himself disappear, when she... But if she was worried, it was probably nothing compared to what Natalia felt.

The Kimlascan princess rolled from side to side occasionally, but her eyes were never closed. She'd finally run into a choice she just couldn't make. Asch, the original she'd known for the first seven years, loved, and been engaged to. Or Luke, the replica who she'd grown up with since she was eleven, who had nothing but suddenly had the weight of the world on his shoulders. She loved them both, she wanted them both alive and at her side. How was she supposed to decide between them, to stop them when words weren't enough? Why were words never enough...?

The room in which the men slept was no different. There was someone staring at the ceiling, someone staring out the window, someone rolling from side to side, and someone staring at nothing but the endless oblivion that was the back of their mind, searching for answers. Guy ignored the little jab of pain as he finally moved his unblinking eyes away from the ceiling. Luke was still moving around in the bed, making the blankets a tangled mess around his ankles. His eyes were closed tight. Guy knew that the seventeen/seven year old was thinking, or trying not to, think about tomorrows events. Asch was laying next to him, glaring out the window. Guy didn't see the point of it, all that was out there was the miasma flooding the city and the earth. But Asch will be Asch, he decided. It was very likely that the original and the replica were thinking about the same thing.

Jade looked to be asleep, but Guy couldn't tell. Was he sleeping, or just keeping his eyes closed while he thought? In truth, the Colonel was digging through old memories buried years ago. He had created fomicry, which lead Van to create Luke. Did that mean that this was _his _fault? The score going off track, and this war? Was it just because he didn't want to buy his little sister a new doll? Well, Jade would bet that nobody else(maybe Van) would quite agree with him. If he hadn't done it, Luke wouldn't have been born, the score wouldn't have strayed farther away, hell Asch wouldn't even be here. Luke thanked him for that one. He didn't think that Luke would thank him for the hundreds of replicas made by Mohs though.

So wasn't it a good thing that the thing that he'd invented threw the Score off track? He couldn't see the point in dwelling on it though. Jade dismissed his thoughts as sleep, which had been calling for the last hour or so, finally started screaming at him, and he fell into a dreamless sleep.

That would be another day. Nobody could predict the future now, not even Lorelei himself...

* * *

This was the last thing he wanted, but the first thing Luke expected. Asch had woken up even before Jade and made his escape to the Tower of Rem via the Albiore III. This lead to a mad rush after the arrogant red head, and a near permanent frown on Luke's face. For two days the boy sat in his chair tapping his foot impatiently, until Guy told him to knock it off, and Jade said he might just need a leg for his experiments. That was worse than supposedly poisoning his food...

"He's not here." Luke looked around the interior of the ancient structure, the faint hum of the Dawn Age machinery found his ears, a sound which only Guy would be able to appreciate. Not only could he hear the fon machines, but also the collective breathing of the few replicas that had yet to reach the top.

"Maybe he hasn't arrived yet..." Natalia tried to stand on her toes to see above and around the multiple heads left crowded at the elevator, hoping to Yulia that she could be right.

Jade shook his head. "No, the Albiore III was just outside when we arrived. He's here. We should hurry."

"Right." Luke nodded, and as the elevator reached the bottom again, they jumped on with the replicas. Said replicas didn't pay them any attention, just staring ahead as the elevator brought them to the top of the tower.

There were hundreds of replicas at the top of the tower, each had dead, emotionless eyes. Luke looked around again, but his original was no where to be seen. "I...guess he isn't here. I don't see him anywhere."

Mary was sitting on the ground, holding another injured replica in her arms. Tear ran over to where she was trying to calm her. "What happened?"

"She was chased out of the city, and treated like a slave before coming here. Like many of us." Mary answered. She lifted her head, turning her attention to Luke. "Why are you here? Are you the one that will walk the path of death with us?"

"You intent to give up your life to get rid of the miasma?" Natalia stepped forward.

"We decided it was the best thing to do. No," Mary shook her head and rephrased. "It is what we must do."

"You're being persecuted by the originals, just like he is." Guy said, referring to Luke. "Yet you still want to give your life for them?"

"This is not for the originals. It is for our many brethren who have yet to make it here." Mary corrected him. "So they may find a place to live."she was about to speak again, but another, high and annoying voice spoke first.

"Well it's too bad for you, that day will never come!" The sound of gunfire filled the air, and multiple replicas suddenly fell to the ground. A large robot landed in the space they left. Dist sat in his floating chair atop it. "You're all going to die right now!"

"Dist! What are you doing here?!" Anise glared at the laughing man in the chair.

"I'm here to get rid of all these useless things!"

"Not if we can help it!" Luke unsheathed his sword, as did Guy. Natalia hurried to move the replicas away from Dist while Jade and Tear prepared fonic artes. Anise merely jumped onto Tokunaga as the doll grew.

"Hey Guy!" Dist grinned after he avoided a swipe from Luke's sword. His robot then drew the attention of Luke, Anise and Natalia away while he face Guy.

"That was the creepiest thing I've ver heard." Guy shuddered and glared at the silver haired man. "What do you wnat Dist?"

"It just so happens that I've come across an _interesting_ little fact. About a little 'phobia' of yours." he grinned.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Guy lunged at Dist, but he flew away again. "Are you going to magically turn into a girl or something? Because I think you could break more than a million mirrors like that." Now being out of range for any blade, Jade began to charge an arte to hit the ex-God-General.

Dist looked insulted at Guy's comment for a moment, but dismissed it. His grin spread as he stated to charge an arte. "I just happened to find a rather interesting new arte, and I've been just _dying _to test it!" As he spoke, he flung the arte in Guy's direction. It was fast, but Guy managed to jump out of the way and the ball of light just missed his toe. But instead of hitting the ground and sizzling away, the arte made contact with another body. A white light blinded everyone for a split second, and it was silent for another.

"Jade!" The Malkuth Colonel hadn't been able to dodge the incoming arte due to charging his own. He was sent to the ground on contact. He laid on his back, appearing to have suffered no injuries, but Tear ran to check just in case.

"Oh! You're going down now Dost!" Anise glared at the robot that she was fighting. "Get out of my way!" she glowed white fore a moment before Tokunaga started punching the robot repeatedly. "Oh ravaging tragedy! Final Fury!!" Anise yelled, and the doll punch the robot once more. "Not done yet!" A gold glyph glowed beneath Tokunaga's feet, and it jumped up, it's landing causing the robot to daze, then threw it in a heavy uppercut. "Dying Moon!"

At that moment, Dist came flying to the ground, into the remains of his prcious robot, due to an attack from Natalia and Guy together. "Damn you! Damn all of you!" he tried to stand, but Luke ran forward for another attack.

"I don't think so! Raging Blast!" his attack sent Dist and the robot flying into the sky, and he watched as said chunk of metal exploded, taking Dist with it. "He's gone. Is Jade okay?" They turned to Tear, who nodded.

"He doesn't seem to be hurt in anyway, he's just unconscious."

Luke nodded, then turned to the mass of replicas. Before he could speak, Asch finally appeared.

"What are youdoing here? I thought I said that _I _would do it!" he glared at his replica, then turned to Mary and her comrades. "Replicas! I am the one who will die with you! Come!"

The replicas obeyed Asch command, and came into the center of the platform.

"Asch, stop this foolishness!" Natalia commanded.

"Listen to her Asch! Stop!" Luke said.

"Stop trying to tell me what to do! You're a replica too, if you stay here you're going to get caught up in the reaction! Who's going to free Lorelei if you do?" Asch yelled.

"You can do it! I'm going to do this!"

"You want to die that badly?!"

Luke paused. "No, I 'm the same as you! I don't want to die, but I'm a replica! I'm weaker, I couldn't even get the Jewel of Lorelei. It needs you. The one who's unneeded should die here, me!"

"Shut up! I did not get my life taken away from some one 'unneeded'!" He turned to face the replicas again, but Luke ran and tried to take the Sword of Lorelei from his hand. "What are you doing? Let go of me!"

"No, I won't let you die!" Luke refused to let go, instead he tried to push the other red-head the sword began to glow. Asch stared at it.

"What? The Jewel must be close by, the sword is glowing..." Luke took this to his advantage, and pushed Asch away, taking the sword in his hands. Asch tried to stand and run back, but Guy grabbed his arms, holding him back.

"I don't ant anyone to die, but I guess I have to agree with Luke." Guy said. "If we have to choose one, it should be the original."

Luke held the sword above his head, ready to plunge it into the ground. Tear stood at the side, shaking her head. "Luke, stop!"

"Every one, give me your lives." Luke said. "I'm going with you!" he brought the sword down. Tear tried to stop him, but Natalia ran forward to hold her back. "Everyone...thanks..."

"You bastard..." Guy said, still holding Asch hands.

The Tower glowed. No, the replicas glowed, and one by one, they started to disappear. Luke fell to his hands and knees, breathing deeply. It seemed like something inside him glowed as well, but then it was gone.

"Damn it! The seventh fonons are dispersing. It's the Jewel, that idiot didn't even know he had it the whole time!" he ran forward, grabbing the sword an holding it with Luke.

"Asch?!" Luke gasped.

"Don't worry, I have no intention of dying with you. I'm just giving your hyperresonance some power."

"...Thanks, Asch."

Everything glowed white, it was too intense to look at and everyone shielded their eyes. Moments later, the heavy feeling left by the miasma was gone. Anise opened her eye and gasped as she looked around. "The miasma is gone!"

"Luke!"

"Asch!"

Both Luke and Asch were, amazingly, still there, lying side by side on the ground. They were unconscious, and still held the Sword of Lorelei in their hands. One replica still stood, Mary. "Remember your promise." she said. "Give the remaining replicas a place to live." then she disappeared.

Luke woke up, and sat on his knees. "I'm...alive?!"

"Th-thank goodness! I thought you were going to disappear..." Tear said, breathing a sigh of relief and smiling. Luke turned to face her, smiling too. Then something else flashed white again, and he suddenly held a violet jewel in his hands.

"W-what's this?"

"The Jewel of Lorelei." Asch answered.

"Really? I though you couldn't find it anywhere!" Anise said.

"That idiot got it from Lorelei just fine. He just absorbed the fonons that composed it into his body." Asch sneered like usual. "He was so stupid that he didn't realize it until he began disintegrating." He stepped onto the elevator.

"Asch! Where are you going?" Natalia asked. "We have the Key! We can go together!"

"If we go together the God-Generals would come after us. I'll act on my own until we're ready to release Lorelei and defeat Van." Then he disappeared as the elevator took him to the bottom.

"Luke." Guy approached his friend. "Asch said you should have died there. I'm really concerned, maybe you should see a doctor in Belkend."

Luke smiled. "Right, thanks Guy."

"I also want to get Jade checked on..." Guy trailed off, turning to where Tear and Natalia were checking on the still-unconscious Colonel. "He's still out. I'm worried about him too."

"Yeah, me too. I was actually surprised when he got hit by that arte." he wondered to the still form on the ground. He stared at his face, but couldn't look away. For some reason, something seemed...off. Just less 'Jade', in a sense...


	2. The Strange Arte that ,er, Changed Jade

Luke sat on the edge of his bed in the Belkend inn, twiddling his thumbs. The doctor's words were still running through his head.

_Your seventh fonons are dissipating at an alarming rate...If you check into this hospital right now, the only thing we can do is postpone the day you disappear..._

He was going to disappear soon, but nobody knew... _He said that my blood fonons were a little low, but other than that I'm okay... _He'd spent the whole walk home thinking of that excuse, but by the looks that Tear and Guy were giving him, they hadn't believed him. Guy was sleeping in the bed to his left snoring lightly, and Jade slept in the other, making no noise at all. This is what really worried Luke, more than disappearing. The entire time he'd traveled with the Malkuth Colonel, he seemed almost invincible. But now, he'd been unconscious for almost a day. What was that arte that Dist used anyway?

Luke's thoughts were interrupted when a sliver a gold stretched across the room, the door was opening, and closing quietly. He looked up, and Tear entered the room, glanced at Jade, then sat down next to him. "Hey, Tear."

"Hello, Luke..." she paused, but decided not to say anything, but cut right to the chase. "...You lied, didn't you?"

Luke froze. So she did notice.

She continued when he didn't. "Please Luke, tell me the truth." she looked up at him. Her eyes were sad, unlike the soldier he came to know.

"...He said that my fonons were leaving my body fast..." He said finally. "He said...I'm going to disappear..."

"Why did you lie to us then? Why didn't you tell us?" She turned away from him. "...I..."

"Because I didn't want you to worry! I didn't want to slow you guys down..." Luke stared at the floor. "I'm sorry, Tear..." The weight beside him was gone, and the door opened again.

"Thank you, for at least telling me..." Tear said and then quietly closed the door. Luke listened to her open and close the door to her own room just as quietly. After a few minuted of hearing nothing but the crickets, he finally crawled under the blankets and closed his eyes. Guy stopped snoring, rolled over in his sleep with his back facing Luke, and started snoring again.

He would disappear soon...But he didn't know when.

* * *

His dream was suddenly gone in a flash of blue and violet. The snow, his sister, Saphir, Peony...He found himself staring at the inside of his eyelids instead. It was a strange dream. The fact that Saphir was there was one thing, and the fact that Peony was there was another, and the one that bothered him. He looked different, still the same blond hair and blue eyes, but different. Almost...appealing?

Jade opened his eyes slowly, slightly disturbed by the fact that his dream-self found Peony appealing. The white ceiling of an inn met his eye, and the light blue light from outside, that meant that it was not yet daylight out. He didn't know where he was though. He too a deep breath, the miasma was gone...which meant...He sat up suddenly, looking around. By the looks of it, he was in Belkend, Luke and Guy were both asleep next to him...Wait, Luke?!

"How-?!" His hand flew to his throat. That was _not_ his voice. It couldn't possible be! He swung his legs over the side of the bed, standing up quickly, and immediately sat down again. The whole room was spinning around him. Now, he took this time to try and analyze the situation. Problem one: His voice was too high to possible belong to him. Problem two: there was a weight on his chest(which he dared not to say at this time, even though he knew what it probably was), and it was being compress tightly by his uniform. Which was incredibly uncomfortable. Problem three: the even more uncomfortable tight feeling around his waist, also caused by his uniform. Fourth problem: the overall state of his uniform. It was either too loose somewhere, or too tight. And finally: the empty feeling between his legs...

Oh this was _so_ just like Dist to use an arte like this! The question was, what kind of arte could do _this _to him? Well, it explained why the room had spun when he stood, his center of gravity was off balance...Well, different might be the right word, with the added weight to his chest...he'd have to do some walking to get used to this. Jade looked over to Luke, who was snoring. He shouldn't wake him up, he yell and might wake some one... He _definitely _couldn't wake Guy, he'd scream _and _wake every one in the inn...

Tear seemed the best choice, as she was also a soldier. She would act calmly in the unexpected... Most likely. But how would she react to...this? No matter, Jade couldn't dwell on this! He-_she _needed to at least get some form of a lead. She also needed some new clothes, this uniform was highly uncomfortable.

Opening the door just a crack, she saw that indeed, no one was awake yet. She crept to Tear bed, bent down slightly and gave the sleeping brunette a gentle shake. "Tear..." As Jade expected, Tear woke almost immediately.

"Hm? Oh, Colonel, It's just...you..." Tear trailed off when Jade stood at full height again. It was a few moments before she found her voice again. "Colonel! Wh-what happened to you?" she took note of where Jade's uniform had stretched and where it just seemed too large for her new figure.

"I'd like to know that myself." Jade replied.

"..I...Wait." Tear held up a finger, looked around Jade to check that the other girls were still asleep, and reached over the bed to her pack. Her face flushed slightly when she held another outfit, the one she probably wore when her Oracle uniform had to be washed. It consisted of a light brown shirt, and a pair of loose beige pants-undergarments included. "H-here, I don't know if these will...fit you, but they'd probably be better than what you're currently wearing."

Jade glanced to her chest, and where the buttons over it were straining to stay together(note to self-never wear uniform to bed again). She took the clothes with gratitude and made a bee-line to the washroom to change. Tear sat on her bed, her brain trying to work out what could have possibly cause Jade's...transformation. The only solution: the arte that Dist tried to use on Guy...He was probably aiming for turning Guy into a woman, which would most likely cause him to just freeze on the spot. That wouldn't be good.

Anise sat up and yawned, stretching her arms. Tear almost froze, what would the former guardian think? "Hey Tear, you're already up. Did you get some breakfast?" she asked.

"Uh, er-no. Not yet, I only got up a few minuted ago." Tear replied.

"...But the door's open, did some one come in?" Anise gestured to where the door was indeed still open. Damn! Jade had left the door open! "Tear? Is something wrong? What happened?" Anise leaned in, her face torn between curiosity, worry, and that sly look that meant she knew something was up.

"Er..." Tear looked at the floor. How was she supposed to explain this?

"Is it Luke?" Anise asked.

"No! W-why would you say something like that?" Tear blushed.

"Well then what's wrong! Come on! Tell me before Miss Princess over here wakes up!"Anise gabbed a thumb behind her, where Natalia was still sleeping. "I know some thing's up Tear, you never stutter!

"I'm afraid this is something not even Tear can explain..."

Anise's jaw dropped. There may not have been much light in the room, but she could still see clearly, the person standing in the washroom doorway, with a uniform slung over one arm. She was about to say something, but Tear reached over a put a hand over her mouth. She put a finger to her lips, telling her to be quiet. Anise nodded. She looked back at the brunette standing in the doorway, appearing to be slightly uncomfortable with the shirt she wore. "Colonel?! Is that you?"

Jade nodded once and sighed. "Unfortunately. Though I have to say," she adjusted the shirt once again. "This is something that I should have expected from an arte cast by _Dist_." Jade frowned and took off her glasses. "I'll have to adjust these..." she put them back on, and found that Anise's face had fallen considerably. "What's wrong?"

Anise glanced at her chest once. "Jeez," she said. "And I thought Tear had the biggest ones out there..." This comment caused Tear's face to turn red, and a small blush come to Jade's cheeks. "And that shirt still doesn't look like it fits good enough."

Jade pushed her glasses up her nose, dismissing the comment all together. "My...chest size aside,"

"W-well if you want, we could go and get something t-that would fit you better, I mean-um-" Tear stuttered.

"That's alright Tear, it isn't that bad. But I think I can find something in Grand Chokmah that would do just as well."

"So...how are we gonna tell the others? Especially Guy..." Anise trailed off.

"Hm...About the same way we told you." Jade shrugged.

"...Just let them see you walk out of the bathroom wearing Tear's clothes?" Anise stifled a laugh.

"Oh, you think this is funny? Well then why don't I do a little research, find that arte and use it on you?" Jade smiled.

"N-no thank you!"

Jade's eyes wandered to where Natalia was stirring. The Princess sat up, rubbing her eyes. "What's all this noise about?"

"Ah, Natalia, you're awake!" Jade decided to lean against the door frame, seeing as this would need some explaining. "Care to join our conversation?"

Natalia's reaction to Jade standing in the doorway wearing Tear's clothes was similar to Anise's. Her eyes went wide and zipped up and down Jade's body, from head to toe. Her lips were open slightly for a few quiet seconds before she found her voice. "Colonel? Is that you? It-how...Can some one please explain this to me?"

"That arte that Dist used." Tear said. "He was probably aiming for Guy, but he dodged. Jade couldn't because h-she was casting an arte."

"How is an arte able to...make such a drastic change though?" Natalia asked, confused. An arte that was able to change one's gender?

"That I don't know." Jade shook her head. "But I guess we should have expected it, seeing as it was Dist who found the arte. And he intended it to hit Guy."

"Yes, maybe." Natalia nodded. Finally, there was silence in the room as sun light started to leaked into the room through the window. "Er-shall we wake the men?"

"I guess so. I mean, they need to know what happened..." Anise said.

"It couldn't hurt." Jade shrugged and proceeded to leave the room. "I'll have to get these boots re-fitted too..." she muttered. Before she entered the room where Luke and Guy slept, she had an idea. She smiled, opening the door quietly and saw that Guy was still asleep, but looked ready to wake up. Standing next to his bed, she waited. A minute later, as if he sensed her there, Guy opened his eyes. The first thing he saw wasn't Jade's red eyes, but rather her breasts. He screamed.

"Gah!" Jade pursed her lips and stifled a laugh as Guy literally jumped from his bed and onto Luke's. Said red-head shot up when his blond friend landed on his stomach.

"Guy! What the heck are you doing?" Luke tried to push Guy off the bed. In all this noise, Mieu also woke up, poking his head out of the item bag near the looked around, but was forced to retreat into the bag again when Guy came crashing onto the floor. "I was having a good dream before you jumped onto me!" Luke exclaimed groggily.

Guy lifted his head above the surface of the bed that he'd jumped from, and took the time to realize who had been standing over him. Both Guy and Luke froze and Jade raised an eyebrow. "Well, what do you think? At least I'm not some three-eyed monster or anything. It can't get much worse for you though, can it Guy?"

"Uh, c-can you explain this to me? I mean us?" Guy asked after a moment. "It...is you, right Jade?"

"Unfortunately. I have to say the others took this much better than you did however..."

"Yeah Guy, I didn't think you could jump like that!"

Guy turned to see Anise laughing in the doorway, Natalia and Tear right behind her. "Be quiet! He-I mean-she's the one that was standing over me!" Guy shook his head when he accidentally said 'he' out of habit.

"Guy! Placing the blame on me?" Jade feigned hurt and turned around. "Oh how could you?"

Luke found himself staring at Jade's face again. He could see where the arte had transformed Jade, where hi-_her_ (force of habit) face became smoother, more feminine, and her eye lashes longer. The obvious new curves in her body, and how her voice wasn't so deep anymore, leaning towards a higher-still sarcastic-note. And how she seemed to walk differently. It was barely noticeable, but it was like her whole balance was off (which it probably was).

"Luke, is there a specific reason you're staring at me?" Jade suddenly asked.

"Yeah Luke, you look like some hobo that's in love with a pretty lady!" Anise laughed.

"Wh-what? No! I mean-ugh, shouldn't we be heading to Baticul?" Luke sputtered, then quickly changed the subject.

Luckily Natalia seemed not to notice. "Yes we should, we need to tell father."

"I apologize." Jade cut in. "Would it trouble you if we made a stop in Grand Chokmah?"

"What, you can't make it to Baticul first?" Luke asked, letting his past attitude slip by accidentally.

Jade only sighed. "No offense to you Tear, but I'd rather find some more... appropriate clothing." she kept her arms crossed, in order to stop the shirt she currently wore from sliding up. "Me being twice Tear's age, wouldn't you think that I would need something in a larger size?"

"Er-right. Okay, I guess."

The rest of the morning seemed to pass slowly and silently. Guy could no longer approach Jade for conversation, for the obvious reason, and not wanting to have to raise his voice. Although, Anise seemed to be just fine with the transformation, she chattered on happily about one thing to the next. About the basic 'code of women' and clothes. It was obvious to everyone what she was after though, Anise had never been able to just walk into a store and buy a bunch of things because she had no money, but Jade was part of a famous military family. Obviously SHE had money to spare. No matter what Jade said about not needing more than what was necessary, but she was somehow backed by Natalia.

Tear walked quietly along side them on their way to the port. She didn't know how said two girls could accept it so easily. What if there was a long term effect to the arte? What if it was fatal? She quickened her pace coming up to walk along side Luke, not noticing that Jade was, in her mind, hoping that Tear would jump in and defend her against Anise.

Luke was going to die, and Jade had been hit by an arte that they didn't even know existed! How was she supposed to be as happy as Anise?

"Tear, are you okay? You look kinda gloomy. Do you feel okay?" Luke asked, a worried expression spreading quickly over his face.

She looked up into his emerald eyes, forcing a smile on her face. "No, I'm fine."

"Good. Don't worry okay? We're gonna fix everything." he smiled.

_Everything? So you won't disappear on me? Or are you referring to just Jade's 'condition'? _

In her thoughts, Tear could hear Jade sigh patiently. "Anise, I don't need-"

"Nonsense! This arte might not be permanent-"

"Let's hope it isn't-"

"So we're gonna make the most of it! And the only way to do that is-"

"Shopping." Jade finished with the young teen. "As you've already said. But you must know, I don't waste my money on things I don't need."

"That's because you don't know what you need! I mean, you've only been a girl since what, this morning?"

"Anise, may I remind you that there are much more pressing matters to worry about?"

This was going to be a long day. It looked like Baticul was going to have to wait for a while longer.


End file.
